Most Mormons assume that their top leadership, who they call prophets, apostles, and seventies, are unpaid just like their local leaders. What the vast majority of them don't know, including myself when I researched it after leaving the church, is that these same leaders are paid as corporate officers, from the corporate wing of the church. Their humble, self sacrificing leadership is actually a bunch of spoiled multi-millionaires made rich off the sacrifice of the members.

Just a few years ago, the church fired all of its janitors, and made the membership take turns cleaning the chapels on Saturdays. Looks like they were able to scrape together enough money to buy hundreds of thousands of acres of prime Florida timber land.

But the Mormons won't even question. Hell, you will probably have a bunch of them quote me on here, then claim I am wrong, that the top leadership is not paid, or I am lying. They don't realize the only ones being lied to are them, and they are told every Sunday, never to question, or look into anything damaging to the reputation of the church, "less it damage their testimony, and then not have the faith to get into heaven." Never dawns on them that the reason they are not supposed to look, is because it is all so obviously a big lie.

Oh, and Mormons, here is just one article about apostles getting paid. Google Mormon Apostles get paid, and you will find hundreds of others. http://www.salamandersociety.com/foyer/salary/ They even have copies of some of your leaders pay check stubs.

SirEattonHogg:Omahawg: ugh. I'm not sure what's a more simplistic and evil cult: the mormons or scientologists

I need to call in an expert on this and I'll get back to you

You're willing to entertain the idea that Mormons are more evil and cult-like than Scientologists? C'mon. Really?

yes, yes I am.....mostly 'cause I know too much about the mormons. L. Ron sure learned a lot from Joe Smith though.

after all, what's a great way to brainwash someone? say, an impressionable teenager whom you send hundreds of miles from home, deny any contact with their family, and force them to rely on other members of the cul..er...church for everything?

I don't even want to bring up becoming your own planet with your wives as satellites, the holy underwear, "reformed egyptian", umim and thumim, baptising the dead, and all the rest.

sure, today the mormons are recognized as squeaky clean almost mainline protestants. but they ain't and they never were.

Omahawg: yes, yes I am.....mostly 'cause I know too much about the mormons. L. Ron sure learned a lot from Joe Smith though.

after all, what's a great way to brainwash someone? say, an impressionable teenager whom you send hundreds of miles from home, deny any contact with their family, and force them to rely on other members of the cul..er...church for everything?

I don't even want to bring up becoming your own planet with your wives as satellites, the holy underwear, "reformed egyptian", umim and thumim, baptising the dead, and all the rest.

sure, today the mormons are recognized as squeaky clean almost mainline protestants. but they ain't and they never were.

Governor Boggs and the folks of Hancock County, Illinois would agree

Yes, they have a lot of bizarre beliefs. I dunno, the Mormons may come off as "pod people" but Scientology just comes off as comically evil in comparison. SeaOrg, secret OT training, e-meters, celebrity centers, paying through the nose to learn about space aliens, their "church" trying to take far more than 10% tithes the Mormons take from their members and doing a ton of dubious tactics to get more members (like those school education or drug abuse programs secretly backed by Scientology).

Bottomline, I don't mind living next to Mormons. I had Mormon friends growing up and they seemed stereotypically clean cut. I don't agree with their politics and a lot of their beliefs, but whatever...

I've been working in Salt Lake and Ogden quite a bit the past few months (Mon-Thu flights). All I can say is there are quite a few very good looking girls in Utah (compared to PDX), but the guys I work with have a saying about Utah: they breed 'em pretty but they breed 'em dumb. For my purposes, this works out well. Now if they could just get their liquor laws into the 21rst century we'd be talking.